If you feel like talking to your fetus in the womb, a new study suggests you should: The research finds that babies develop a memory of words they hear frequently before they are born. "We believe this shows how well the brain at this age adapts to sounds. It is a sign of very early language learning, or adaptation to the sounds they heard," said study co-author Minna Huotilainen, a docent at the University of Helsinki's Finnish Center of Excellence in Interdisciplinary Music Research. "A newborn baby is not an empty canvas, but has already learned how his or her mother and other family members speak."